Training creative and productive academicians is a critical mission of gastroenterology programs. Emerging discoveries in related fields ranging from human genetics to molecular and cellular biology, microbiology and epidemiology have had major impacts on the understanding of pathophysiology of gastrointestinal diseases. The UCSF Division of Gastroenterology has been a leader in gastrointestinal research for over 40 years. In addition, allied Divisions and Departments at UCSF augment the training program by providing complementary and synergistic training experiences. During the past funding cycle, we have renewed our selection and training procedures to optimize the success of our trainees. The enhanced pool of applicants and trainees in our program attests to the success of our efforts. In this application, we propose to continue our training of innovative and creative academic investigators in gastroenterology.